Our pros get any and all upgrades we do, that's how we roll.
For example, Easy Customizer: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=129182 a feature that has been asked (demanded!) by our pros. This is available to power users, but but make no mistake, we heard from almost every single pro that they want to be able to make a custom site, easily and quickly.
At this point, Andy's "trust us", "you'll love it", "just wait" responses are disingenuous and I just get angry when I read them. I'm done commenting and asking questions, because I honestly don't see this policy/attitude/culture changing, so I'll change myself and get over it. I may stick with SmugMug, but I'm a little less of an evangelist now.
FWIW, I did read some of David Jay's comments on another forum where he hints that some of ShowIt's technology and features will be part of the new pro service.
I have to agree with you on this issue and it is not an easy choice on my side since I have been with SmugMug for years. But, I told myself I would give Smug a chance to roll out the "new" SmugMug Pro but as of this writing I can wait no longer. I have been really impressed with what Photoshelter has to offer especially their work with making their site offerings SEO friendly and their excellent live trainings they offer are very impressive. So far I have sat in on two of them and I have to say they are very informative.
I'll keep a basic site here but my business site will go elsewhere.
I have to agree with you on this issue and it is not an easy choice on my side since I have been with SmugMug for years. But, I told myself I would give Smug a chance to roll out the "new" SmugMug Pro but as of this writing I can wait no longer. I have been really impressed with what Photoshelter has to offer especially their work with making their site offerings SEO friendly and their excellent live trainings they offer are very impressive. So far I have sat in on two of them and I have to say they are very informative.
I'll keep a basic site here but my business site will go elsewhere.
Johnny
What sort of live training are you looking for What topics?
Hey Johnny I really like Photoshelter but I didn't like the fact that the check out was Pay Pal only. I went with Exposure Manager and their cart and gallery structure is pretty nice. I love the fact I can do as many sub-galleries as I want and the packages and coupons are great. Also they charge 10% commission. Granted it doesn't look as good as Smug but for event photography it works out great. I hope Smug Pro will roll out soon and be the perfect solution, but as you I could wait no longer.
So, honestly, any real news on this SmugMug Pro thing?
Honestly? Are we ever dishonest to you?
We began rolling out new SmugMug Pro features back in January with the Bay Photo announcement, adding a true professional's lab to our Site. Then we added SMUGs, SmugMug User Groups. We updated our terms to reinforce in plain language that your photos belong to you, and not us. We've added the Easy Customizer, making it easy for pros to sign up and have a custom site within minutes, not hours, days or weeks. And they don't have to know HTML or CSS. We made it so SmugMug can be removed completely from the footer on pro accounts.
Ryan, all these things are features that have been directly asked for by our Pros. And more are coming, including more pro branding, less Smuggy branding - coupons, packages, and more.
What sort of live training are you looking for What topics?
Andy.
They have live webinars (that last about an hour) thru Go To Meeting that cover:
Live Training: Intro to Basics 101
Sales Setup of Your Archive and using FotoQuote to generate on the spot pricing
Website Customization
Guide to SEO
The two that I have sat in on have been very informative. Seeing someone
actually using the interface live and being able to ask a question if need be is very nice.
I will be excited to see what rolls out with this Pro service. SmugMug's service and design has been nothing sort of stellar. In the meantime, however, I signed up with Pictage. I just spent an hour today ordering prints for a client that bought a prepaid print voucher when I was using just SmugMug. Coupons would have made that a lot easier. And for the college graduation I'm shooting next month, being able to offer pre-registration, print packages, and custom promotions will make my workflow easier, and my bottom line fatter. Being able to offer coupons as promotions, easily set promotional prices (ie 10% off for 15 days), sell print packages and pre-paid print vouchers with portraits and weddings, are all important for my business.
Since SMUGs will ultimately be organized and run by the community itself, I don;t see any limitations for geography, at all. In fact, I think we'll have a few int'l SMUGs up and running by year end. w00t!
Regarding online... that's a bt more prickly since one of the key values of SMUGs is the personal interaction and "touch". Having said that, I'd ove to figure out a way to replicate this interaction online, but am not sure how to do that... suggestions anyone?
We began rolling out new SmugMug Pro features back in January with the Bay Photo announcement, adding a true professional's lab to our Site. Then we added SMUGs, SmugMug User Groups. We updated our terms to reinforce in plain language that your photos belong to you, and not us. We've added the Easy Customizer, making it easy for pros to sign up and have a custom site within minutes, not hours, days or weeks. And they don't have to know HTML or CSS. We made it so SmugMug can be removed completely from the footer on pro accounts.
Ryan, all these things are features that have been directly asked for by our Pros. And more are coming, including more pro branding, less Smuggy branding - coupons, packages, and more.
So it's not a big huge single release, guys.
Stay tuned
We just added this:
With our May 8 2009 release, now, for Pros only, if you add a custom page title via our Easy Customizer, or via your Advanced Site Wide Customizing, the "Powered by SmugMug" is removed from your page title.
With our May 8 2009 release, now, for Pros only, if you add a custom page title via our Easy Customizer, or via your Advanced Site Wide Customizing, the "Powered by SmugMug" is removed from your page title.
Are payouts by paypal coming in this 'pro' update or is it all just fluff?
This is the single thing stopping me signing up. I just cant be doing with having paper cheques snail-mailed across the Atlantic and the associated bank charges that go with it.
I know you are primarily as US focussed company - but there's a big world out there chaps. Or maybe you don't need the money?
I'm sticking with zenfolio until this happens.
Are payouts by paypal coming in this 'pro' update or is it all just fluff?
This is the single thing stopping me signing up. I just cant be doing with having paper cheques snail-mailed across the Atlantic and the associated bank charges that go with it.
I know you are primarily as US focussed company - but there's a big world out there chaps. Or maybe you don't need the money?
I'm sticking with zenfolio until this happens.
Smugmug has already sent information with some checks to pros that states that they are working on eliminating paper checks and having profits direct deposited into bank accounts.
With our May 8 2009 release, now, for Pros only, if you add a custom page title via our Easy Customizer, or via your Advanced Site Wide Customizing, the "Powered by SmugMug" is removed from your page title.
Except it shows the same title on every page. If I don't want that, I'm still stuck with "Smugmug Photo Sharing - Your photos look better here" on the homepage and categories.
Except it shows the same title on every page. If I don't want that, I'm still stuck with "Smugmug Photo Sharing - Your photos look better here" on the homepage and categories.
Right. So you'll wanna wait till a near-term release when hopefully we have more to say about this subject
Small steps, Erick - c'mon - rejoice with me, we just removed "Powered by SmugMug" from your footers and page titles - in response to requests to do just that
Are payouts by paypal coming in this 'pro' update or is it all just fluff?
This is the single thing stopping me signing up. I just cant be doing with having paper cheques snail-mailed across the Atlantic and the associated bank charges that go with it.
I know you are primarily as US focussed company - but there's a big world out there chaps. Or maybe you don't need the money?
I'm sticking with zenfolio until this happens.
We'll have electronic payments, yes. US ACH Payments first, is the plan, then a method to pay international pros via another Service. We're not there yet but it's in the plans.
I respect that. Maybe you could put some sort of newsfeed on http://www.smugmugpro.com/ to show what's been done so far. Having a static teaser site for months and months creates more frustration than buzz.
We'll have electronic payments, yes. US ACH Payments first, is the plan, then a method to pay international pros via another Service. We're not there yet but it's in the plans.
It seems the US hasn't grasped the beauty that is internet banking, it works a treat
Stephen Dickson: The one from the south island of New Zealand.
It seems the US hasn't grasped the beauty that is internet banking, it works a treat
What you guys don't understand is that sometimes, we put other things first before ACH and epayments. We're a small, family company, with no debt or venture capital, bootstrapped - we pay for everything for you, our customers, out of our revenues. Sometimes this means that we'll improve the viewing experience, or the site performance, over adding electronic payments, since we're paying out millions now to our pros, each and every month.
But we'll get to it, we promise. We really will. In fact, this project has a sorcerer assigned to it
I also applaud SM on their commitment to financial stability. This will continue to pay off big for many years. I work for a privately held "family bakery" with 6500 employees and $1.1B in annual sales. I am very aware of working with limited resources. I also recognize the need for sound business decisions to ensure the maximum ROI. I believe items like coupons/gift certificates, packages, and mounted prints will have huge payback not only through additional sales, but it will make SM even more attractive to those who are holding out (or thinking of leaving). Personally, I don't mind depositing my own check. It's much less of an inconvenience than not having the products I like to offer. It's critically important to keep a voice in the forums, because each day managerial decisions are made which determine where the resources are allocated, and thus, the direction of the company we choose to do business with.
But before we get on one of our Smug-Love sprees (which are often deserved), let's not forget that this thread is a testament to SmugMug's inability (unwillingness, at best) to set and meet public deadlines, something that is expected of successful customer-based businesses.
Please don't mistake my blunt, pointed posts as my being "angry," "short," or "rude."
But before we get on one of our Smug-Love sprees (which are often deserved), let's not forget that this thread is a testament to SmugMug's inability (unwillingness, at best) to set and meet public deadlines, something that is expected of successful customer-based businesses.
SmugMug Pro has been coming out since January when we announced Bay Photo. Then Easy Customizer and also some de-branding stuff. More to come!
SmugMug Pro has been coming out since January when we announced Bay Photo. Then Easy Customizer and also some de-branding stuff. More to come!
Which brings us back to the teaser site. I think alot of the reason people believe nothing has launched is because that site is still upp there.. teasing. Attracting us like moths to a flame, staying tuned, tired of waiting, weary.
I also applaud SM on their commitment to financial stability. This will continue to pay off big for many years. I work for a privately held "family bakery" with 6500 employees and $1.1B in annual sales. I am very aware of working with limited resources. I also recognize the need for sound business decisions to ensure the maximum ROI. I believe items like coupons/gift certificates, packages, and mounted prints will have huge payback not only through additional sales, but it will make SM even more attractive to those who are holding out (or thinking of leaving). Personally, I don't mind depositing my own check. It's much less of an inconvenience than not having the products I like to offer. It's critically important to keep a voice in the forums, because each day managerial decisions are made which determine where the resources are allocated, and thus, the direction of the company we choose to do business with.
We also run both our home and business debt-free - the whole Dave Ramsey thing. Good to show that a successful business model is possible, and in these tight times, even more likely to flourish than a debt-based model. Bravo!
We also run both our home and business debt-free - the whole Dave Ramsey thing. Good to show that a successful business model is possible, and in these tight times, even more likely to flourish than a debt-based model. Bravo!
I love Dave Ramsey. I saw him speak live a few weeks ago, and he said three years ago people invited him to their talk shows to make fun of him, now they invite him because they think he's a genius. Same message then as it is now. We've been baby steppin' for about three years now. I even taught Financial Peace University at my day job. Great stuff but a little off topic.
Comments
Voila!
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I have to agree with you on this issue and it is not an easy choice on my side since I have been with SmugMug for years. But, I told myself I would give Smug a chance to roll out the "new" SmugMug Pro but as of this writing I can wait no longer. I have been really impressed with what Photoshelter has to offer especially their work with making their site offerings SEO friendly and their excellent live trainings they offer are very impressive. So far I have sat in on two of them and I have to say they are very informative.
I'll keep a basic site here but my business site will go elsewhere.
Johnny
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
DMunsonPhoto
MaxPreps Profile
Sports Shooter
We began rolling out new SmugMug Pro features back in January with the Bay Photo announcement, adding a true professional's lab to our Site. Then we added SMUGs, SmugMug User Groups. We updated our terms to reinforce in plain language that your photos belong to you, and not us. We've added the Easy Customizer, making it easy for pros to sign up and have a custom site within minutes, not hours, days or weeks. And they don't have to know HTML or CSS. We made it so SmugMug can be removed completely from the footer on pro accounts.
Ryan, all these things are features that have been directly asked for by our Pros. And more are coming, including more pro branding, less Smuggy branding - coupons, packages, and more.
So it's not a big huge single release, guys.
Stay tuned
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I guess I had it in my head that there was going to be some wacky release date for a slew of new features.
We've more work to do on this SmugMug Pro stuff - I'm going back to it.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Andy.
They have live webinars (that last about an hour) thru Go To Meeting that cover:
- Live Training: Intro to Basics 101
- Sales Setup of Your Archive and using FotoQuote to generate on the spot pricing
- Website Customization
- Guide to SEO
The two that I have sat in on have been very informative. Seeing someoneactually using the interface live and being able to ask a question if need be is very nice.
Johnny
Tour Leader - DPRK
Uri Tours
SmugMug - photos.japanphotos.jp
We just added this:
With our May 8 2009 release, now, for Pros only, if you add a custom page title via our Easy Customizer, or via your Advanced Site Wide Customizing, the "Powered by SmugMug" is removed from your page title.
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. " ... Ansel Adams
Fantastic!!! Thanks!!!
This is the single thing stopping me signing up. I just cant be doing with having paper cheques snail-mailed across the Atlantic and the associated bank charges that go with it.
I know you are primarily as US focussed company - but there's a big world out there chaps. Or maybe you don't need the money?
I'm sticking with zenfolio until this happens.
Smugmug has already sent information with some checks to pros that states that they are working on eliminating paper checks and having profits direct deposited into bank accounts.
Except it shows the same title on every page. If I don't want that, I'm still stuck with "Smugmug Photo Sharing - Your photos look better here" on the homepage and categories.
borealphoto.smugmug.com
Small steps, Erick - c'mon - rejoice with me, we just removed "Powered by SmugMug" from your footers and page titles - in response to requests to do just that
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I respect that. Maybe you could put some sort of newsfeed on http://www.smugmugpro.com/ to show what's been done so far. Having a static teaser site for months and months creates more frustration than buzz.
Malte
It seems the US hasn't grasped the beauty that is internet banking, it works a treat
Work hard, play harder. bloggy
But we'll get to it, we promise. We really will. In fact, this project has a sorcerer assigned to it
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
I like smugmug a wee bit more knowing the management is running a tight ship
As a family financial counselor (volunteer) for the military, I applaud SM's business plan of no debt.
Do you have ANY idea how rare that is for a company...any company? Bravo! I run my photo business the same way. Keeps me motivated!
Oh...and the freedom it allows! Bravo SM!!
Justus Photography
www.lindasherrill.com
But before we get on one of our Smug-Love sprees (which are often deserved), let's not forget that this thread is a testament to SmugMug's inability (unwillingness, at best) to set and meet public deadlines, something that is expected of successful customer-based businesses.
I'm generally happy, tall, and fuzzy on the inside.www.NickensPhotography.com
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Which brings us back to the teaser site. I think alot of the reason people believe nothing has launched is because that site is still upp there.. teasing. Attracting us like moths to a flame, staying tuned, tired of waiting, weary.
Do something with it or take it offline.
Malte (Still tuned)
We also run both our home and business debt-free - the whole Dave Ramsey thing. Good to show that a successful business model is possible, and in these tight times, even more likely to flourish than a debt-based model. Bravo!
www.RichardBerryPhotography.com
I love Dave Ramsey. I saw him speak live a few weeks ago, and he said three years ago people invited him to their talk shows to make fun of him, now they invite him because they think he's a genius. Same message then as it is now. We've been baby steppin' for about three years now. I even taught Financial Peace University at my day job. Great stuff but a little off topic.
David